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Official Name: Officially called Union of Burma, commonly known as Burma or Myanmar.
Capital city: The administrative capital of Burma is Nay Pyi Taw, which was officially announced on 6th November 2005. It took over as capital of Burma from the largest city Rangoon - which is the largest city in the country with a population of more than four million.
Location: Being the largest country in Indochina, its neighbors include - Laos to the east, China to the north-east, Bangladesh to the west, India to the north-west, Thailand to the south-east - and features a coast that runs 1,930 kilometers uninterrupted to the south bordering the Andaman sea.
Size: The total land area of Burma is 676,578 square kilometers and ranks 40th globally. For comparative purposes, Afghanistan is ranked 41st with a land area of 652,230 square kilometers and Zambia is 39th with a total land mass of 752,618 square kilometers.
Climate: Burma has a tropical monsoon climate resulting in cloudy, rainy, hot and humid conditions in the summer; The Southwest region on the country has monsoons from June to September. Winter runs from December to April when there is less cloud and rain; also the temperature is milder with lower humidity.
Population: The population of Burma is 53,414,374 with makes its ranking 24th globally, placing it marginally behind Italy with a population of 58,090,681.
Life Expectancy: At birth, the average Burmese person can expect to reach the age of 64.52 years. Females have a longer life span at 66.94 years, while males average 62.23 years.
Prevalance of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Burma is about 0.7%, giving it a global ranking at 64th; it is estimated that 240,00 people live with HIV/AIDS in Burma.
Major Illness: Hepatitis A, B and C, typhoid fever, protozoal diarrhea, dengue fever, malaria, leptospirosis and rabies are prominent risks in all of Burma; the degree of risk of catching one of these infections is rated very high.
Ethnic Groups: Burma mainly comprises - Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%,with other nationalities at 5% of the population.
Languages: The official language of Burma is Burmese, with the majority of ethnic groups speaking their own languages.
Religion: The recognized religions in Burma include Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, and animist at 1%.
Government: Burma is a military regime. In 1989 the military authorities promoted the name Myanmar, however many international governments would not adopt this name. In 1990, the National League for Democracy, won a landslide election, which was the first in 30 years since a military regime allowed multi-parties to run for government. However, the Burmese Junta, never allowed the leader -Aung San Suu Kyi - to take control of her party and the country and she was subsequently arrested and retained under house-arrest. The head of state is Than Shwe who is the chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Than Shwe is also the top military leader and heads the SPDC which includes 12 senior generals who control the country and are responsible for decision making. In 2004 a power struggle plagued the Military of Burma and the leadership felt threatened. Prime Minster - Khin Nyunt - whose statement that he supported Aung San Suu Kyi's involvement in the National Convention resulted in the Prime Minister being dismissed from his post and arrested by the military regime.
Military: The Burmese military is formed with the following divisions; Army (Tatmadaw Kyi), Navy (Tatmadaw Yay) and Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay). It is stated that Burmese males and females are allowed to volunteer at the age of 18, however, there have been reports by international bodies that children are being conscription into the military; the Burmese authorities denies this allegation. Investigations continue. The Burmese regime maintains a heavy hand to control dissidents who present a threat to the junta's future.
Economy: Burma is a resource-rich country; but under the Junta the Burmese economy has not able to fully exploit its potential economic benefits. The government has kept tight controls and thus manage inefficient economic policies. This has meant the vast majority of the population lives in poverty and the socioeconomic conditions continue to deteriorate. The county has an opportunity to take advantage of its natural gas resource and export on a international scale, but this has not been exploited. However one large European based oil company has a strong presence in the country taking advantage of this sought after commodity. Sectors such as mining, oil, timber, natural gas and power generation are significant in the country, but foreign investment is scarce due to corruption and mismanagement. The Burmese authorities have state owned enterprises; however these corporations are loss-making and have a negative impact on the environment. Sanctions over recent years have also caused hardships, with product and travel bands being imposed. A banking crises within Burma caused 20 banks to close in 2003, and private banks still have to operate under restrictions, resulting in access to credit being limited. Western Governments imposed economic and financial sanctions against Burma, which included financial transactions and bans on the export of certain Burmese products. The global crises in 2008-2009 had a major impact on the Burmese economy with Burmese migrant workers feeling the pinch, leading to remittance drying up and businesses being forced to close. High job loss, export demand falling and the decrease in domestic consumer spending has seen the average person in Burma severally penalized. Currently, the economic development of Burma remains hampered by the political climate.
GDP: Burma has a purchasing power parity of US $56.92 Billion, ranking it 86th in the world. It is estimated the GDP growth rate is 1.8% putting it 82nd globally.
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